Best post-'77 defensive games

[74_75_78_79_]

I'll kick things off with an obvious one as well as a game that I actually attended. First...the 1999 NFCC and by that rather unique 11-6 final score that there never was before nor never again since. As for the game I attended...(the only home Steelers game I ever attended)...Cowher over Pete Carroll's Pats 7-6 in the '97 divisional round - the last playoff game Steelers ever won at Three Rivers.

Okay, I'll include just one more before I let you all take over with better ones...Denver 7 Chargers 0, 1979.

[Veeshik_ya]

the 11-6 game you mentioned. A classic.

Have to include the Rams victory over in Seattle in 1979 due to the negative total yardage.

The Raiders beat Walsh's 49ers by a score of 12-3 or 9-3 or something like that in the early 80's was it 1982?

A few that come to mind for me.

[oldecapecod11]

11/26/2007
Had to look for it. Remembered the score but not the "combatants?"
Maybe not a lot of defense but certainly very little offense.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/f ... hins_N.htm

Steelers beat Miami 3-0 in lowest-scoring 'MNF' game ever
Updated 11/27/2007 2:40 PM
By Jim Corbett, USA TODAY
PITTSBURGH — There was lots of rain, wind and mud followed by intermittent splashes of sloppy play, punts that plugged in puddles and, until the final 17 seconds, no scoring. Nada.

[oldecapecod11]

Really looked and found...
October 16, 1977 Buffalo Bills 3-0 v. Atlanta Falcons
December 16, 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-0 v. Kansas City Chiefs
December 12, 1982 New England Patriots 3-0 v. Miami Dolphins
December 11, 1993 New York Jets 3-0 v. Washington Redskins

[Rupert Patrick]

Really looked and found...
October 16, 1977 Buffalo Bills 3-0 v. Atlanta Falcons
December 16, 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-0 v. Kansas City Chiefs
December 12, 1982 New England Patriots 3-0 v. Miami Dolphins
December 11, 1993 New York Jets 3-0 v. Washington Redskins

I don't know if I would consider any of these great defensive games. Two of them, the 1979 Bucs Chiefs (played in a monsoon) and the Snow Plow game, were both played in extremely adverse weather conditions and neither team could move due to the weather conditions. The video does not exist for the Bucs Chiefs game (although I have a copy of the radio broadcast for the game) and it was two teams who could not move well (except for the Bucs who had worn down the Chiefs by the fourth quarter and were having success on the ground) and were slipping and sliding all over the place. The Chiefs got a total of four first downs on the afternoon.

In the case of the 1977 Bills Falcons game, neither team would average more than 14 points a game on offense in the season. While the Falcons did have the Gritz Blitz going for them, the two teams combined for 17-51 passing on the afternoon although it was quite windy in Buffalo on the afternoon and it probably wasn't good pass defense that caused the low passing completion rates. OJ Simpson and Jim Braxton combined for over 200 yards on the ground, while Monroe Eley had a career afternoon for the Falcons with 90 yards rushing, so it wasn't a sign of good rushing defense. The Bills defense had two interceptions while the Falcons recovered two Buffalo fumbles. Without breaking out the video and watching the game, I think it was just a case of neither team being able to sustain a drive.

Reviewing the box score for the 1993 Redskins Jets game, the Redskins had a putrid offensive effort, garnering 150 yards of total offense. New York had the ball for 41 minutes and rushed 50 times, which I would guess was one of the dozen highest totals in Jets history. Johnny Johnson rushed for 155 yards for the Jets, which is not a sign of a strong Washington rush defense. Despite that kind of ball control, the Jets could not sustain a drive (although they were 8-18 on third down conversions), and I don't think it was due to a 23rd ranked Washington defense who sacked the Jets once. Each team had a turnover in the game, a lost fumble. This game does not strike me as a great defensive effort for either team, rather a poor offense against a team who could control the ball but could not punch it in.

[Gary Najman]

I would vote for the two 9-5 scores in NFL history;

- Dallas at Washington, 1978, on a Monday Night
- Indianapolis at N.Y. Jets (although there was rain), 1984

[oldecapecod11]

Rupert Patrick » Sun Feb 22, 2015 11:51 pm
"I don't know if I would consider any of these great defensive games..."

Congrats! Rupert...
I was aware of the snow plow game and thought a couple of the others might be questionable from a defensive standpoint.
I knew someone would pick them apart.
They were just the four listed at:
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/b ... pts_lose=0
You got all four.
It just shows you can't judge a great film by its score - a football game either.

[JohnH19]

I would vote for the two 9-5 scores in NFL history;

- Dallas at Washington, 1978, on a Monday Night

I remember greatly enjoying that game.

IIRC, the Bears beat the Vikings 10-7 in the game that Walter set the single game rushing record with 275 yards.

Edit: I guess that game doesn't count, though, since it was played in the 1977 dead ball season.

[conace21]

1999- Jacksonville 6, Baltimore 3. The Jags won despite 9 first downs and 132 yards offense. Their scoring drives started at Baltimore's 14 and their own 44. Baltimore managed 13 first downs and their lone scoring drive started at their own 45.

Two weeks later, they played again, and Jacksonville won 30-23.

[Gary Najman]

Really looked and found...
October 16, 1977 Buffalo Bills 3-0 v. Atlanta Falcons
December 16, 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-0 v. Kansas City Chiefs
December 12, 1982 New England Patriots 3-0 v. Miami Dolphins
December 11, 1993 New York Jets 3-0 v. Washington Redskins

I don't know if I would consider any of these great defensive games. Two of them, the 1979 Bucs Chiefs (played in a monsoon) and the Snow Plow game, were both played in extremely adverse weather conditions and neither team could move due to the weather conditions. The video does not exist for the Bucs Chiefs game (although I have a copy of the radio broadcast for the game) and it was two teams who could not move well (except for the Bucs who had worn down the Chiefs by the fourth quarter and were having success on the ground) and were slipping and sliding all over the place. The Chiefs got a total of four first downs on the afternoon.

In the case of the 1977 Bills Falcons game, neither team would average more than 14 points a game on offense in the season. While the Falcons did have the Gritz Blitz going for them, the two teams combined for 17-51 passing on the afternoon although it was quite windy in Buffalo on the afternoon and it probably wasn't good pass defense that caused the low passing completion rates. OJ Simpson and Jim Braxton combined for over 200 yards on the ground, while Monroe Eley had a career afternoon for the Falcons with 90 yards rushing, so it wasn't a sign of good rushing defense. The Bills defense had two interceptions while the Falcons recovered two Buffalo fumbles. Without breaking out the video and watching the game, I think it was just a case of neither team being able to sustain a drive.

Reviewing the box score for the 1993 Redskins Jets game, the Redskins had a putrid offensive effort, garnering 150 yards of total offense. New York had the ball for 41 minutes and rushed 50 times, which I would guess was one of the dozen highest totals in Jets history. Johnny Johnson rushed for 155 yards for the Jets, which is not a sign of a strong Washington rush defense. Despite that kind of ball control, the Jets could not sustain a drive (although they were 8-18 on third down conversions), and I don't think it was due to a 23rd ranked Washington defense who sacked the Jets once. Each team had a turnover in the game, a lost fumble. This game does not strike me as a great defensive effort for either team, rather a poor offense against a team who could control the ball but could not punch it in.

I remember an NFL Films short piece about the Chiefs-Bucs game, and another of the Snow Plow game, both narrated by John Facenda.